Goodbye South Island - Hello North Island.

Almost all backpackers we met told us how much more beautiful the South Island is. Now it was time to find out if the North Island really stands in the shadow of the South Island.

We spent the four-hour ferry ride with Simon, one of the Germans from the last hostel. Together, we decided to explore Wellington together in the next few days.

Wellington was the first major city in New Zealand that we saw. With around 190,000 inhabitants and a few skyscrapers, this city is an absolute contrast to the rural South Island. That's why we were very excited.

Unfortunately, the weather played a trick on us on the first day, so our sightseeing was postponed a bit. To make the best of the rainy day, we spent it in the dry Te Papa Museum, which brought us a little closer to the history of New Zealand - absolutely recommendable! The hours passed quickly due to the lively presentations and the interestingly designed information material.

After our cultural program, we made our way to the cinema (our first visit to the cinema in 3 months) and were full of anticipation. Since the male companions were in the minority (4:1), it turned into a film that was more interesting for women: "A Simple Favor". However, it cannot be denied that Simon was absolutely enthusiastic about this film. Conclusion: Maybe men should be persuaded more often to watch "women" films ;).

On the way back, we made a detour to the Friday Night Market. The more fragrant smells reached our noses, the harder it was to resist. However, we managed to look at the delicacies without giving in (yes, we were proud of ourselves too).

On the second day, it was time to explore the city. Since we met a very nice girl at breakfast, the six of us explored the harborfront, downtown, and Cuba Street.

Our first impression did not deceive us: Wellington is truly a beautiful city.

In the evening, we set off with the nice girl named Viki and a friend of hers to explore Wellington's nightlife.

The later the hour, the more the city filled with party-hungry young people and we enjoyed the evening to the fullest: dancing, laughing, and talking until we all fell exhausted into our beds.

The next day it was time to say goodbye and head towards Palmerston North. A city that is not as lively and diverse as Wellington. However, this was more of a stopover on our way to Rotorua.

Rotorua is known for its numerous "hot pools", i.e. hot springs where you can take a natural hot bath. We couldn't miss this. But before we went bathing in the middle of the rainforest at the foot of a waterfall, we visited Te Puia Park.

Te Puia Park is a center of Maori culture and geothermal wonders.

Maoris are the indigenous people of New Zealand and the park offers an opportunity to gain insight into their lives, art, and customs. It is absolutely fascinating and interesting to see what their lives are based on. For example, many Maoris are tattooed from head to toe and each tattoo is unique. These body arts tell their subjective life stories, i.e. Are they married? Do they have children, if so how many? What is their job? Have they served in the war? and so on.

In addition, the park features erupting geysers, hot mud pools, etc., which are referred to as geothermal wonders.

We also finally had the opportunity to see a kiwi bird. Kiwis are the national animals of New Zealand, but they are unfortunately nocturnal and very rare. That's why it is almost impossible to spot them during the day and in the wild.

After we had completed our fascination with Rotorua, we set off for Auckland, but only for a weekend for now.

Finally, it was time to meet Lilly again! Lilly and we spent the entire weekend together. She slept and ate with us, so we could make the most of every minute.

On Friday, we met her warm host family and had dinner with them.

We are all really happy that she is so lucky to be able to work and live in such a beautiful environment.

In the evening, we set off to explore Auckland's nightlife. We also met two more friends of Lilly's and went on a pub tour. It was a really nice evening and even though we were on the other side of the world, it felt like home. Home in a different corner of the earth.

After a good night's sleep, we headed towards the harbor to soak up some sunshine and chat extensively. Because in the evening we were already scheduled to meet with people we met in Fiji: Koen and Paul.

Since they are studying abroad in Auckland, they live in the university dormitory.

So we met there and also got to know many other nice students.

We talked for hours and exchanged our mutual experiences and laughed a lot.

It was and still is such a surreal feeling to meet people from Holland and Germany in Fiji, to meet them in New Zealand, and in turn to meet their friends who come from completely different countries around the world.

Well, anyway, we then went to a gay club, which made the evening even more unforgettable. Since we were all in such a club for the first time in our lives, we will definitely remember this evening forever. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed our time together. But since we unfortunately had to get up early the next day, we made our way home with the knowledge that we will see each other again next week.

The next morning, we continued towards the north.

Our new destination: Whangarei. A small town 2 hours north of Auckland. From there, you have the opportunity to explore beautiful nature. So we went on a road trip to the Bay of Islands and the Whangarei Falls. An absolutely recommendable trip! Hours surrounded by beautiful nature, unique scenery, and wonderful people - what could be better?

We spent the last four days of our New Zealand trip in Auckland. We explored the city and of course met Lilly and the people who have become so dear to us in such a short time. We are sure that we have made friendships that will last beyond our trip and that we will never forget.

We could not have wished for the last days to be any better.

And now, after 6 weeks in New Zealand, it's time to say goodbye and head to Australia.

It's halftime, exactly 3 months have passed and another 3 months are ahead of us.

It's the perfect time to say how grateful we all are to be able to make this trip. We enjoy every day. Day in and day out, we experience new, varied, and wonderful things. It is a time that no one can take away from us and will not. We have become a small family, we know each other inside and out, and it is an indescribable feeling to know that you are surrounded by people who love you just the way you are.

On the one hand, we are all looking forward to the moment when we can hug our families and friends again, and on the other hand, we wish that every day would pass as slowly as possible. How paradoxical is that?